Spanish A1.16 Listening Practice: The O Opens
Spanish A1 listening practice with audio, transcript, key phrases, and a speaking challenge for the o opens.
Podcast listening is in beta while creation and discussion tools are refined. This published chapter includes its complete segmented audio and transcript.
Level
A1.16
Audio
Segmented audio
Transcript
19 segments
What to notice while you listen
What you'll understand
Build short guided Spanish sentences from one new pattern at a time.
Use o to ue in stressed roots to build an original spoken Spanish answer.
New pattern
o to ue in stressed roots
Practice aloud after listening
Puedo empezar ahora.
A short Spanish listening chapter with transcript.
Unit 2: add o to ue in stressed roots to what you already control, then say one short answer that reuses earlier Spanish instead of starting from a memorized phrase.
Read while you listen.
1. Carmen · Teacher
Welcome! I'm Carmen. Today we are looking at how vowels change inside Spanish verbs when stressed. Let's listen to Álvaro and Lucía.
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2. Álvaro · Native Speaker 1
¿Cuándo empieza la clase?
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3. Lucía · Native Speaker 2
Empieza ahora.
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4. Álvaro · Native Speaker 1
¿Puedo entrar?
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5. Lucía · Native Speaker 2
Sí, la profesora vuelve.
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6. Álvaro · Native Speaker 1
Puedo empezar ahora.
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7. Carmen · Teacher
Let's break down this conversation sentence by sentence.
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8. Carmen · Teacher
First, Álvaro asks: ¿Cuándo empieza la clase? This means: When does the class start? Notice how the verb empezar changes to empieza.
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9. Diego · Student
So the e sound in empezar changes to ie in empieza?
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10. Carmen · Teacher
Exactly, Diego! The root vowel changes under stress.
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11. Carmen · Teacher
Next, Lucía says: Empieza ahora. It starts now. Then Álvaro asks: ¿Puedo entrar? Can I enter?
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12. Diego · Student
Is puedo coming from the verb poder?
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13. Carmen · Teacher
Yes, Diego. The root vowel o in poder opens up to ue, giving us puedo.
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14. Carmen · Teacher
Then Lucía responds: Sí, la profesora vuelve. Yes, the teacher comes back.
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15. Diego · Student
Does vuelve follow that same o to ue pattern?
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16. Carmen · Teacher
That's right! Volver becomes vuelve in the third person.
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17. Carmen · Teacher
Finally, Álvaro says our challenge sentence: Puedo empezar ahora. I can start now.
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18. Diego · Student
Why is empezar in its basic form after puedo?
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19. Carmen · Teacher
When two verbs go together, only the first one like puedo changes form, while the second stays in the infinitive. Well done today!
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